The Bitter Truth
by Winterheart
Summary: Finally, THE SEQUEL TO CRIMSON'S FIC, Misted Reality! And I'll finally start posting again! An evil returns to get revenge on Seifer and the gang. Can he stop it in time to save those he loves? Read and find out! Ch. 3 revised!
1. It Begins...

***No, sadly I don't own any of the following characters, places, things, etc. Everything belongs to Squaresoft, Inc. I'm just using them for entertainment... ;-) ***  
  
Author's Note-Just to warn you, I'm not anywhere near as good as Crimson in the area of writing, so please bear with me. I'm trying to stay in her style of writing for *your* comfort. All I ask is that you Read and Review, even if it's to say something like "You SUCK!! Crimson should have written the sequel!!" ...I'd really appreciate it.  
  
  
  
  
Our very existence is based on lies. We fill our heads with petty wishes and silly dreams because we're too stupid, too proud, or too scared to realize everything -but- the truth. Not until our misted reality has been cleared and our dreams have been shattered do we ever begin to accept the bitter truth.  
  
"Zell, what ever happened to waiting for your friends?" Selphie called to the blond young man sprinting ahead of her and Irvine. When she received no answer, she simply shrugged and moved closer to Irvine as he put his arm around her.  
  
"Sefie, you know that boy doesn't wait for anything when hotdogs are being served for lunch." Irvine said with a hint of humor. "Not even Adel could stand in his way!" He chuckled at the mischievous thoughts that had sprung up in his mind, not noticing Selphie become quiet and a look of thought darken her features.  
  
Selphie's thoughts drifted to the events of the past few days and she mentally reminded herself that it all -had- happened; everything -was- real. Since the incident with Adel and Seifer, a lot had happened: because of Ashton Petius' death (Treppie #1) the Treppies had disbanded, supposedly because of a "change of interests"; Odine had left as soon as he was finished with Seifer to begin "zee mass production uv my finest vurk!"; Seifer's association with Adel and the murders was kept confidential to ensure his safety -and- sanity, the Garden students were simply told it was a spy's attempt at destroying Garden and that the perpetrator had been apprehended; Seifer and Quistis continued to recuperate in the Infirmary, growing ever closer with each passing moment of intimacy.  
  
Selphie gave a small smile as she remembered that both Seifer and Quistis were going to be released from the Infirmary today after lunch. The Sunshine Sprite was broken out of her contemplation by a nudge from Irvine.  
  
"Hey, Sefie," he said, pointing, "look at Zell. He looks like he's been Petrified."  
  
Selphie looked ahead to see Zell standing as rigid as stone in front of the open door leading into the Cafeteria. As soon as she and Irvine got closer, they noticed Zell trembling all over. Small beads of sweat had broken upon his pale, pale face. He appeared to be struggling to breathe.  
  
"What's the matter Zell," Selphie asked as her and Irvine came next to the blond boy, "are they out of hotdogs again?"  
  
Selphie and Irvine waited expectantly for a cry of frustration and an angry punch to the ground, but nothing came. Puzzled, Selphie leaned closer to Zell and peered into his face.  
  
"...Zell?"  
  
Selphie gasped as his horrified eyes locked onto hers. He whispered something, but she couldn't make it out. With mounting terror, she leaned even closer...  
  
"...look..."  
  
Selphie pulled back with a frightened look and froze. Beside her, Irvine made a strangled sound. Selphie turned to face him and saw her lover mirror Zell's appearance. Filled with dread, Selphie slowly began to turn...  
  
...and came face to face with death itself.  
  
The stench of vomit and human wastes permeated the air inside the Cafeteria. Everywhere food was scattered; dishes were broken; bodies were lying. The entire staff and student body of Garden was dead.  
  
Tears streamed down Selphie's face as she spotted fellow SeeD members, Garden students, and friends among the masses. She took a few steps into the Cafeteria and was almost thrown back by the power of the stench. Steeling herself, she went on to inspect the bodies.  
  
Selphie passed the table where Xu and Nida sat, facing each other. Even up to their last moments, they were together; their hands locked together forever in death. Selphie walked deep into the sea of bodies until she finally came to one whose name she did not know and leaned in for a closer inspection.  
  
Selphie tried to stop the bile from rising in her throat, but to no use. She quickly turned to a nearby plant and vomited. After she was finished, she took a deep breath to steel herself and tried again.  
  
The stench of the corpse was almost unbearable, but it didn't come from the decay of bodies; it came from the mixture of saliva, tears, vomit, and liquefied innards. This putrid mass covered everything in the Cafeteria and originated from the many corpses' open mouths. Selphie tried to look closer to determine for certain her guess at the cause of so many deaths, but was unable to withstand so many empty, pleading stares for so long. With a sob, she went back to where Irvine and Zell were still standing and told them what she had found.  
  
"I think everyone's been poisoned," she stated grimly. "Everyone looks exactly the same, even the cooks and the only way they could have killed so many in so little time would have to have been through poison." Selphie bit her lip, trying to figure out who would wan to kill all of Garden.  
  
"Well, whoever it was could still be in Garden," Irvine said, "Selphie, Zell, let's go get our weapons and alert Cid and Edea." Selphie merely nodded in agreement and moved to leave.  
  
"Zell?" Irvine asked, noticing that the boy still had not moved. "Are you OK, mate?"  
  
Zell suddenly snapped out of his trance and looked at both Irvine and Selphie.  
  
"You guys go ahead, um.... I want to go and find Azura."  
  
"Ok, Zell, we'll see you later. Watch your back, mate," Irvine said. He gave Zell's arm a brotherly squeeze before turning and sprinting for his dorm. Selphie only gave him a weak smile as she turned as well to follow her lover.  
  
Finally able to let his tears flow, Zell, stepped into the Cafeteria in search of his girlfriend, the Pig-Tailed Girl.  



	2. Death

***Disclaimer: No, I still don't own any of the characters, places, things, etc. ....Damn Squaresoft lawyers.....  
  
  
  
  
  
***The Bitter Truth: Part 1***  
  
Death is perhaps the most frightening and painful thing you'll ever experience in life; it's also the last experience you'll ever have, the last thing you'll ever see, the last thing you'll ever feel. Death....is the end.  
  
Dr. Kadowaki sighed as she sat down at her desk to go through the release papers for her most recent patients: Seifer and Quistis. They had left not more than five minutes ago after she made both of them promise they'd call her if anything was remotely wrong and that they'd be back next week for a check-up. She was just about to start filling out the first form when she heard a noise coming from one of the back store rooms. Frowning, she got up and went to investigate.  
  
Dr. Kadowaki crept through the infirmary, making as little noise as possible, hoping to catch the vandal in the act. She passed the two patients' rooms and continued back toward the supply room. She was almost to the door when another loud noise erupted from the room in front of her. Gingerly, she reached out her hand to open the door and winced as the knob squeaked with each little me movement. Bracing herself, she flung open the door, ready for anything.  
  
"What on earth are you doing?" she asked, instantly recognizing who it was. "If you're looking for Quistis and Seifer, they left a little while ago." When Dr. Kadowaki received no kind of response, she frowned and walked further into the room.  
  
Dr. Kadowaki was very close now and asked, "Is something wrong? Are you all ri-" but she was suddenly and violently cut off as a scalpel was driven deep into her eye. Her scream of intense pain was muffled as a roll of gauze was stuffed into her mouth. She fell to the floor, her life starting to drain away. Through her haze of pain, she looked up into the eyes of her murderer just as she was beheaded with her own surgeon's saw and all connection with the living world was brutally cut off.  
  
**********  
  
"All right kids, this is the Training Center. All Garden students, SeeDs, and staff can come here to practice, train, and let out some steam. You however, will not be allowed in here until you're a little older or if you have an instructor with you. Any questions?" Edea smiled warmly at the five new Junior Classmen of Balamb Garden as she waited for their questions.  
  
"What kinds of monsters do you have in here?" asked Samantha as she played nervously with her long, blonde hair. She was the youngest one and was still a little unsure of herself.  
  
"Well," began Edea, "we have Grats, Bite Bugs, and a few T-Rexaurs."  
  
"Ewwww!" wailed Alexandria. Although she was the oldest of the group, she was she was almost dwarfed not only by the others' sizes, but by her mass of auburn hair that went nearly to the ground. "I HATE bugs!"  
  
Edea merely smiled at the little girl's look of disgust. Her attention was then caught by a small hand waving energetically from the back of the group.  
  
"Yes, back there?" Edea asked, trying to see who it was.  
  
A spunky little red-head ran to the front of the group and began to jump up and down excitedly.  
  
"When do we get to fight the monsters, huh? When?!"  
  
Edea gave a look of slight disapproval but couldn't help smiling inwardly at the child's eagerness.  
  
"Now Amanda, I told you earlier that you won't be able to kill any monsters until you've begun training with a weapon. And *that* won't happen until you're older. You just need to be patient."  
  
"*Ahem* Miss Edea?" asked a little girl quietly. She was probably the most interesting of the group. She had tiny little glasses over her innocent blue eyes and long black hair. At a first glance, she could have been the daughter of Rinoa.  
  
"Yes, Meagan, what is it?"  
  
"Um, I read once that T-Rexaurs are often very hard to kill. Do you allow the younger trainees to fight them?"  
  
"Well, we can't exactly control *what* the trainees fight in here." Edea answered after some thought. She looked at the child, not quite understanding the question.  
  
"But if T-Rexaurs are so hard to defeat, then how come you let in-experienced fighters battle with high-level monsters?"  
  
"Ah, I understand what you're asking now," Edea exclaimed. "We can control each monsters' levels and abilities by a chip we have implanted in their brains when they're brought here. So if a younger, in-experienced fighter comes in here, we can make all the battles a little easier for him of her."  
  
The little girl nodded now that her question had been answered.  
  
"OK, any more questions?" Edea asked, looking from face to face. Samantha, Alexandria, and Meagan all shook their heads. "All right then, let's head to the Cafeteria for some lunch; I'm sure you're all starving!" Edea turned around to lead the children out of the Training Center. She didn't go more than three steps when an argument rose from the back of the small group.  
  
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I can's kick your butt!" Amanda yelled. She was fighting with the only male of the group: an overweight little boy named Steven.  
  
"As if!" he yelled back. He opened his mouth to give her an acid retort, but couldn't think of anything, so he simply stood there and glared at his nemesis.  
  
"Hey, nice comeback! I bet you couldn't even tear the wings off a bite bug!"  
  
"Oh yeah?!" Steven challenged, "Just watch me!" And before Edea could do anything, the little boy ran off, deep into the Training Center.  
  
"Steven, don't go in there!" Edea yelled after him. She turned to the four frightened girls, "You girls stay here, I'll be right back." Then she ran off in search of Steven.  
  
Edea ran through the brush, repeatedly calling out the boy's name; but to no avail, she couldn't find him. She was just about to start back to the entrance and go and get help when she entered a clearing just in time to see the young boy get swallowed by the biggest T-Rexaur she had ever seen.  
  
"Oh God......" Edea whispered in disbelief. Steven hadn't even screamed, he was simply and suddenly taken from the world in the blink of an eye.  
  
Even if Edea had not made a sound, she couldn't have prevented the monster from turning on her. With a terrifying roar, it charger. Edea barely had time to dive out of the way. She crouched low in the bushes, trying to plan out her strategy. But with a sudden jolt of helplessness, she realized that this was a fight she could not win. She was weaponless, the GF that she had junctioned to herself was far too weak to do any sort of damage, and all that she had for magic was Haste and a few Scans.  
  
(All right, let's think about this Edea) she thought frantically to herself. (There's no way I can outrun a T-Rexaur, but I should be able to outsmart it. A T-Rexaur's intelligence is only as high as it's level and all monsters in the Training Center are kept at their lowest levels unless there's a training exercise going on. So all I have to do is--)  
  
Edea's thought was cut off as the T-Rexaur's tail slammed into her, sending her flying through the air to land hard on the rocky ground. Edea tried to get up, but she couldn't. A sharp pain shot through her chest with every move. She looked up and saw the exit only a few yards in front of her. If only she could have moved faster...  
  
Edea's scream echoed throughout the Training Center as the T-Rexaur clamped it's teeth over her legs, sending waves of pain crashing throughout her entire body. She could do nothing as the creature shook her like a rag doll. Then she found herself being catapulted into the air, end over end, and the last thing she saw was the T-Rexaur's glowing red eyes and it's open mouth before the monster's jaws sealed her in darkness forever.  
  
**********  
  
The Headmaster of Balamb Garden sat alone in his office, oblivious to the tragic turn of events elsewhere. He had been going through countless files of SeeD candidates and possible new student all morning and it seemed like it would never end. Then, mercifully, the sound of the telephone was able to tear him from his difficult task.  
  
"Hello?........Ah! Hey there Laguna! How are you doing this lovely morning?.......What?!? You've got to be kidding!.....But who would want to blow up Esthar Laboratories? Were all the personnel in there when it happened?...........That's a pity about Odine, he was a genius, odd, but incredibly smart.......Yes, of course I'll send an investigative team to Esthar; it's important to get to the bottom of this......Yes, yes, they'll be over as soon as possible.....No, don't you worry about a thing, Mr. President.......OK now, Goodbye."  
  
Cid leaned over his desk in search of the intercom, but dozens of files and papers prevented him from seeing even an inch of his desk. After a few minutes of searching, he was victorious.  
  
Cid was just about to push the button when the elevator doors at the end of the hallway slid open. He peered through his open doors and recognized the newcomer almost at once.  
  
"Ah, just the person I wanted to see. I want you to get a group together and head over to Esthar. There's been an incident and President Loire has asked Garden to investigate. You see, Esthar Laboratories has been-what do you think you're doing?" Cid looked at his visitor with mounting alarm as the room began to get hotter and hotter. Then, without warning, Firaga was screamed and Cid was enveloped in a ball containing the fires of Hell itself. Any cries he might have uttered were lost as his body was consumed in flame.  
  
The killer stood a moment as the smell of burnt flesh permeated the air and then turned to leave, but not before the elevator doors at the end of the hallway began to open.  
  
**********  
  
"Ding, second floor, lingerie, ya know?"  
  
"NOT FUNNY."  
  
"Ow! C'mon Fuj, I was just joking!" Raijin cried as he clutched his shin.  
  
"HURRY. APPOINTMENT." She replied, pointing in the direction of the Headmaster's office.  
  
"Oh yeah! I can't wait to find out my SeeD scores, ya know?"  
  
The inseparable duo headed down the hallway and stopped in front of the closed doors that lead to Headmaster Cid's office. Raijin was just about to open the doors when Fujin stopped him.  
  
"SMELL?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.  
  
Frowning, Raijin thrust his nose in the air and took a few whiffs. After a moment of thought, he shrugged and, with his back to the doors, opened them.  
  
"Head master Cid probably tried to cook his own lunch today," he joked as he turned around, expecting a mock glare of reproval. But the charred corpse of his beloved friend and mentor stopped him short.  
  
"Oh God, Fuj! How could this have happened?!" he cried, looking to his friend for answers. But she merely stood there, open-mouthed, staring at what was once Cid Kramer.  
  
"I mean, holy shit, Fuj, you don't think that he was screwing around with magic or something, do ya?"  
  
"No, idiot. I think someone killed him," she answered him quietly. "The Headmaster would never make this kind of mistake with magic."  
  
Filled with grief, Raijin looked at his friend with tear-filled eyes.  
  
"So what do we do now?"  
  
"We go find Squall," Fujin answered without a moment's hesitation. She grabbed Raijin's arm and sprinted towards the elevator. Once inside, she pushed the button for the first floor.  
  
The elevator had just begun to descend when it stopped with a sudden jerk. Both Raijin and Fujin gripped the sides of the elevator as it jerked again. They heard creaks and groans coming from the cables above them; neither could help the growing feeling of imminent doom.  
  
Without further warning, the elevator dropped. Fujin barely had time to look at Raijin and say goodbye before the elevator landed deep in the bowels of Garden, crushing them both.  
  



	3. Suffering

The Bitter Truth: Part 3  
  
Someone once said "Death is the only inescapable, sure thing. We are sentenced to die the day we're born." If this is so, then why do we continue to run from it? "Death is as sure for that which is born, as birth is for that which is dead. Therefore, grieve not for that which is inevitable." You'll only make the pain last longer...  
  
"C'mon Selphie, we've got to hurry," Irvine panted as he raced to his room. He flung open his door in search of his prized Exeter. "Who knows if this wacko has tried to get anyone else. Sefie, go get your weapon and meet me back here. Then we'll go find Squall and Headmaster Cid. OK, Sefie?"  
  
Selphie nodded obediently and ran from his open doorway. Irvine kept searching for his weapon but was having no luck. He turned his search toward his closet and knelt there, frantically tossing aside articles of clothing and shoes into the center of the room. Finally, he came across the case for is shotgun. He quickly opened it, but found nothing; it was empty.  
  
"Where is it?!" Irvine spat in frustration. The cock of a gun being loaded behind him gave him his answer. Instinctively, he tensed up, waiting for an explosion of pain but nothing came. Slowly, cautiously, he turned around and found himself staring down the barrel of his very own Exeter. Hit with sudden dread, Irvine looked up to see who was holding the gun, but he never got to see the face of his killer. Before he could lay his eyes on a face, his own was blown away with a single shot.  
  
Irvine's lifeless body crumpled to the ground in a pool of his own blood. His gun was tossed unceremoniously over him and the sickening sound of bones cracking was heard as the heavy gun landed on his still chest.  
  
"IRVY?!" Selphie shrieked as she watched his life get blown away. Her nunchaku slipped from her numb fingers and clattered to the floor. Even as the tears streamed down her face, she couldn't tear her gaze away from her faceless lover.  
  
A sudden movement forced Selphie to look away. She gazed into the face of Irvine's killer with a look of utter shock.  
  
"...you?!" was all she could manage before hands closed over Selphie's throat, forever choking off the rays of sunshine that had always brightened Garden.  
  
Zell sat on the floor of the cafeteria, tears falling silently down his pale face. He had found his girlfriend, Azura at their table; dead like all the others. Unable to bear such a loss, he stumbled over to the counter where he fell to the ground to mourn softly.  
  
(Who could have done such a thing?!) Zell moaned to himself. He lay his head in his trembling hands as he desperately tried to think. But a sudden sound from the back of the kitchen broke his contemplation. Startled, he stood up and peered into the darkness behind the counter.  
  
"Hello?" he called out tentatively; hopefully.  
  
No answer.  
  
"Is anyone there?" he tried again. Cautiously, he began to walk into the kitchen. He stood in the doorway a moment to let his eyes adjust to the light. Somewhere in the back he heard a sizzling sound. Filled with growing apprehension, he slowly walked in.  
  
Zell passed by the large industrial size fridge and gigantic oven until he came to the back of the kitchen. Absently, he wiped the sheen of sweat that had formed on his forehead.  
  
(Gosh it's hot in here...What the hell is that sound?)  
  
Turning to his right, he saw the stove. Somehow, it had been turned on. Looking closer, he saw smoke rising from one of the burner. Cautiously, he stepped closer. There, on the center of the stove was a piece of charred, black meat.  
  
Frowning, Zell asked, to no one in particular, "What the hell was for lunch?"  
  
Without warning, icy hands grabbed hold of him, preventing movement of any kind. He could feel someone's gentle, icy breath on the back of his neck as he was answered:  
  
"Fried Chicken."  
  
Zell started at the chilling answer, his eyes widening and his body tensing. Then all the blood seemed to drain from his body as he realized...  
  
(...I know that voice...)  
  
But the hands of ice pushed him on top of the stove, holding him there as the hot, iron burners charred his tender skin. He screamed as the burners cooked his flesh, but still the hands held him down. He writhed in agony as his flesh was burned away, but all to no avail. Finally, he lay still.  
  
Quistis was afraid. She had been sleeping since she was released from the Infirmary and Seifer had gone out with Squall to Balamb for the day. But now, she wished she had stayed asleep. The first sounds she had heard that morning were a gunshot, the grating of metal against metal, a huge crash, and countless screams of agony. Worst of all, she couldn't escape them, she was locked in her room.  
  
She couldn't think straight. Quistis hated locked rooms, places with no escape. She paced back and forth through her room, unable to come up with anything to get herself out. She had tried everything to get her door open. Going from her fists to her whip to her furniture, all to no avail. Eventually, she just sank to the floor at the foot of her bed trying to collect her thoughts and conserve energy.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, something happened. Through the eerie stillness, Quistis heard a small, familiar sound. Beep The door had been unlocked.  
  
It took a moment for what had just happened to register on Quistis' brain: she was free. But it all seemed so suspicious. Warily, Quistis rose from the floor and walked toward the door. She paused for a moment and grabbed her Save the Queen; she didn't want any surprises. Mustering her courage, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.  
  
It was dark. The hallway of the dorms had no windows, only endless doors. It had been lit with fluorescent lights, but now there was only blackness. As Quistis continued down the hallway, she could hear the crunch of glass underneath her feet. Slowly, she made her way toward the main part of the school.  
  
Finally, the door to the Atrium was in sight. Quistis breathed a huge sigh of relief and relaxed as she walked toward the growing light. But then she stopped. She thought she had heard another pair of feet walking slowly behind her, matching her step for step. She strained her ears, praying to God it was just her imagination. But no, as she listened, she could hear another person's slow, even breathing just behind her.  
  
Panic filling her, Quistis sprinted for the end of the hallway. She couldn't fight in darkness; she had to see her adversary.  
  
Quistis could hear the person behind her; hear the glass crunching louder and louder as the person got closer and closer. But she did not falter. Instead, she burst through the door into the light, at once blinded by its brilliance.  
  
"Quistis! Help me! He's got me!!"  
  
"Rinoa?!" Though surprised that her friend had been so near her, Quistis focused on what she needed to do.  
  
She stopped and turned to face her enemy, struggling to differentiate where Rinoa was, though all she could see was one large shadow. Taking no chances. she struck out with her deadly whip, hoping that she hit her foe and not her friend. The only indication that she had hit her mark was the quick intake of breath she heard and the warning hiss of retaliation. Then, Quistis felt something sharp cut her body: her shoulder, her leg, her side, everywhere was a slice of pain. Then, mercifully, something struck her head and she drifted into darkness. 


	4. Torment

Ok, so this will be kind of a boring chapter, but hey, ya need the info, so there you are. I know it's been years since I've written, but I still hope you enjoy. Please read and review!!!

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The Bitter Truth: Part 4  
  
What is it that torments us most? Could it be the loss of a loved one or the hurtful words of an enemy? Even if those that we love were taken from our lives, we would still have that sense of finality and the knowledge that, at least for them, it's over. No, the thing that makes us lose sleep at night and causes us to go mad is simply not knowing. Playing over one hundred different ways of how a lover was tortured and killed does nothing to quiet our minds. Someone once said that ignorance is bliss, but they were dead wrong...  
  
Squall grabbed his leather jacket from the passenger seat as he got out of the car. He had just returned from his daily morning training session outside and then a quick stop at Balamb to pick up a few things that he needed. Riding the lift out of the garage, Squall stopped himself before absently scratching the white bandage that covered his cheek.  
  
(At least it's healing) he though to himself. Dr. Kadowaki had insisted that, since the cut that Seifer/Adel had given him was rather small and not too deep, she hadn't needed to cast any magic. She had simply told him that it might leave a scar if he didn't leave it alone. And while he didn't really care if he got another scar or not, he was constantly reminded by his friends (Selphie in particular) not to touch it.  
  
Finally arriving at the main floor of Garden, nothing could have prepared Squall for what he was about to see. At first, there was only one, lying just in front of the door to the garage. Then, a bit further, lay another. And as he continued farther and farther into Garden, he lost count of how many bodies he ran past on his way to the Infirmary.  
  
"Dr. Kadowaki, come quickly!! I don't know what's happened but there are many students hurt! I don't understand what's happened, but you need to hurry!" Squall yelled as he passed from the office and then to each patient's room. Finding no sign of the doctor, he almost ran on to find the headmaster instead when he remembered the storage room at the end of the hall.  
  
"Dr. Kadowaki, are you there?" Finally realizing that something was very, very wrong, Squall tentatively walked towards the last room, drawing his gunblade. As he approached the door, he reached out a hand to push it open. At first, Squall's mind couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. Then gradually, the pieces began to fit together.  
  
There, on one of the extra examining tables was a message; not written in paper and ink, but carved on the forehead of Dr. Kadowaki's severed head, her blood seeping from the letters. He could only pray that she had been dead before that message had been written. Fighting to keep himself from vomiting, Squall lowered his gunblade and inched as close as he could handle to read the message:  
  
"I'm back..."

---------------------------

Seifer grabbed a towel as he stepped out of the shower and began to dry himself off. He moved slowly, making his movements careful and deliberate so as not to undo Dr. Kadowaki's handiwork. Wrapping the towel around himself, he walked into his room and began to dress.  
  
He sat down on the bed wearing only his pants, debating whether or not to take a quick nap before he met Quistis and their friends for lunch. He was no longer afraid of sleeping, since the last few nights, his hand interlaced with Quistis', he'd had the best nights of his life. Not simply because he was free of his nightmares, but because he had shared his dreams with the woman he loved.  
  
Seifer bent down to put on his socks when a noise from outside stopped him short. He heard people running down the hall. Not really thinking much of it, he crossed his bedroom and grabbed a white ribbed tank top and put it on. Then, after slipping on his shoes, he waved his hand in front of the sensor to open the door.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Puzzled, Seifer tried again, but still he got no response. He tried pushing in his personal code to make the sure the door was unlocked, but still no luck.  
  
Seifer was about to turn to try and get a hold of someone through the intercom when he heard more noise coming from outside: the crunching of glass underfoot, the crack of a whip, a hiss of pain, and then the sound of a body hitting the floor before all was silent.  
  
(There's only one person who has a whip in Garden) Seifer thought to himself with mounting panic. (Oh no....)  
  
"Quistis!!" Seifer screamed as he began to pound on the door. Hitting and kicking the door with what little strength he had recovered seemed to have little effect, but he continued until he had used up all of his energy.  
  
Turning his back to the door, Seifer sank to the floor and put his head in his hands, trying in vain to simply think about a way of escaping his prison and not about what could have happened to his beloved Quistis.  
  
Seifer turned his eyes skyward in a silent prayer and then looked desperately around the room, trying to find something that could be of use, when his gaze fell upon the intercom. With renewed determination, he stood, walked over to it, and pushed the button...

---------------------------

/Hello? Anyone there?/  
  
Squall's head shot up at the sound of a staticy voice. He stood up from where he had been kneeling next to one of the students that had worked in the library and walked over to the intercom.  
  
"Who is this?" he demanded.  
  
/Squall? Is that you?/  
  
".....yes, this is Squall" he said after a slight hesitation. "Who are you?"  
  
/Squall, it's me, Seifer. I think something's happened. I'm locked in my room and can't get out. But I could hear people fighting outside, in the hallway; one of them had a whip. And Squall, you know that Quistis is the only person in Garden who has a whip... I don't know what's happened to her and I can't get out of this fucking room!/  
  
Seifer seemed almost hysterical as he finished talking. /Squall, what's going on?/  
  
Squall paused a few moments before answering. "I don't know exactly what's going on. I just got back from training and so far, everyone that I've seen is dead. I found Zell in the kitchen and the elevator appears to be at the bottom of Garden so I can only assume that Headmaster Cid must be dead as well. .....and I can't find Rinoa. Seifer..... what time did you and Quistis leave the Infirmary?  
  
/Quite a while ago. We were released a few hours before lunch, why?/  
  
Swallowing hard as mental pictures of what he had seen flashed through his mind. "Because, when I found Dr. Kadowaki, there was a message and it seemed pretty fresh."  
  
/What message? And what do you mean by 'fresh'?/  
  
"It was carved into her forehead."  
  
There was a long pause before Seifer answered. /My God...... But what did it say?/  
  
"'I'm back.'"  
  
/Oh no........no, no no, NO! This can't be happening! Squall you have to come and get me out of here; we have to find Quistis and Rinoa. ......God, please don't let them be dead.../  
  
"I'm on my way..."

------------------------------

It seemed like forever before Seifer heard Squall's voice on the other side of his door. After a few useless tries with the electronic lock, Squall decided to use brute force.  
  
"Stand back..."  
  
Seifer moved to the far end of his room before Squall shot a few bullets into the door to make a hole large enough for Seifer to crawl through.  
  
"Why is it so dark?" Seifer asked as he emerged into darkness.  
  
"I couldn't get the lights to work when I came in."  
  
Turning to his keypad, Seifer hit a button and the corridor was instantly flooded with light. "Well, that's odd, why didn't it work before?"  
  
With this newfound luminescence, both Squall and Seifer were able to see. Turning, as one, they saw what Seifer had heard when he was locked in his room.  
  
Not too far from Seifer's door was a large pool of blood. Glancing down at his shoes, Squall noticed that he had walked right through it. As he looked back at the blood, he noticed something familiar floating in the middle.  
  
"Oh God, please, no..."  
  
Squall walked slowly to the center and knelt, heedless of the blood, to pick up a necklace from which dangled two rings.  
  
"Squall, what do we do?" Seifer asked quietly.  
  
Squall held back tears as he tried to clean the blood from Rinoa's necklace. "We continue searching until we find them."  
  
"And what if we don't...?" Seifer hated to ask, but his hope was fading from him. Seeing all the blood, knowing that half of it had to be Quistis' made him believe in the worst.  
  
"We will," Squall said with deadly determination. "I'll continue looking in the remaining dorms and you will start outside."  
  
Squall stood up and started walking past Seifer. Taking that as a dismissal, Seifer began to walk towards the Atrium to go outside.  
  
"Oh, and Seifer?"  
  
Seifer turned, and looked at Squall expectantly.  
  
"If you find the person who did this, kill them.......slowly."  
  
A little surprised at that last word, Seifer nodded slowly, understandingly, and then walked outside. 


End file.
